Another vandalism wave hits East Longmeadow

EAST LONGMEADOW — Police have received a fresh batch of vandalism reports from town residents whose vehicles were the latest damaged in an ongoing series of pellet gun attacks on cars and trucks in East Longmeadow and outlying sections of Springfield.

Targets have included vehicle windshields and windows, but now area businesses are reporting shattered windows and damage from BB or pellet guns, said East Longmeadow Police Sgt. Denis Sheehan. "We had another rash of them," he said Wednesday.

Police records show at least 10 new damage reports were logged Tuesday morning with the East Longmeadow Police Department, including some from local businesses. The incidents, reported between 8:07 and 10:53 a.m., occurred on Clareside Drive, Parker, Prospect and Chestnut streets, Forest Hills and Shaker roads, and Gates Avenue.

An initial batch of vehicle vandalism was reported July 3. Over the past week, however, the number of victims has grown to around 40. Parked vehicles on both secondary and main roads have been targeted, including cars that were in driveways on dead-end streets. "They're getting more brazen," Sheehan said of the culprits.

East Longmeadow authorities have declined to say if they've beefed up patrols due to the incidents. Similar reports have been received in Hampden and Somers, Conn., according to Sheehan. "It's continuing," he said.